1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a portable computer and, more particularly, to a method for preheating the portable computer before booting.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a portable computer, most of components including a central processing unit (CPU), a south bridge chip, a north bridge chip, a clock generator, a power regulator, a storage device, a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a battery are operable when ambient temperature is above 0° C. These components do not guarantee that they can work normally when the ambient temperature is below 0° C. Therefore, most portable computers are operable when the ambient temperature is above 0° C.
However, with the popularity of the portable computer, there are more and more demands for using the portable computer in a cold environment where the temperature is below 0° C. To make the computer used normally at low temperature, in a conventional design, the inner temperature of the computer is sensed after a power button is pressed. When the inner temperature is lower than operation temperature, important components such as the CPU, the south bridge chip, the north bridge chip and the storage device are heated, and a booting procedure is delayed. After the temperature of all the electronic components reaches the operation temperature, the booting procedure is performed.
When the portable computer is booted at low temperature in the above mode, since electronic components of the portable computer are needed to be heated after the power button is pressed to boot the computer, the booting procedure is delayed. Thus, a user may wrongly think the portable computer is broken and it cannot be booted. Moreover, in a cold environment, the battery of the portable computer also may be un-operable because of the low temperature. Thus, the electronic components of the portable computer cannot be heated by electricity of the battery, and the portable computer cannot be booted.